Is education reform dead?

The term “education reform” has been used for centuries to describe the progress and improvements made in education systems throughout the world. In the U.S. however, the term has, especially in the last few decades, become fairly loaded. Today’s “education reformers,” as they have come to be known, may have started out as a collective, but over the years, individual agendas became more important than any common agenda for school improvement. Relentlessly advocating for their particular cause or strategy, many contemporary education reformers haven’t been above playing hardball, even if that meant denigrating those who disagree with them. This “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” mindset that has anchored so many recent reform efforts has, in my view, a very different tone from past reform efforts, and ultimately, has done far more to divide people than unite them.

A movement’s rise and fall?

Scholars and policy makers may quarrel over when education reformers became part of an actual movement, but for the sake of this discussion, let’s use the 1983 release of A Nation at Risk as the starting point. This report/manifesto took an issue prized by most Americans — the future success of their children — and starkly exposed the failures and inequalities in how schools were addressing the issue. In a clear and blunt style, the report called into question America’s ability to remain economically competitive. After years of reforms that were grounded in the civil rights movement, A Nation at Risk changed the focus and linked the nation’s economic and social strength to public school systems. Federal and state education leaders used the report to issue a clarion call for more intensive and impactful education reforms that drew in outsiders to a much greater degree than in the past. Soon, business leaders, philanthropists, and a host of nonprofit advocacy groups were in the mix, supporting higher standards, academic rigor, standardized testing, and newer models of school delivery. By the time No Child Left Behind became law in 2001, “education reforms” had taken on a whole new meaning and were a movement unto themselves.

Now, almost 40 years later, some of those education reformers are saying the huge investments and high-profile reforms that promised to “transform education” and “provide equity and excellence for all students” have fallen way short of the mark. Part of that disillusionment no doubt stems from the overwhelming impact of the pandemic. Many self-proclaimed reformers were laser-focused on the most underserved students and schools, and to now see those schools struggling so mightily is clearly painful and maddening. Many hoped the pandemic would finally shake loose the stranglehold they believe teachers unions, publishing companies, and other interest groups have on education systems. Add to that a huge influx of federal dollars, and the opportunities for innovation and improvement seemed well within reach. Based on what we know so far however, schools are continuing to just limp along. There is no evidence of dramatic transformation, and equity and excellence remain elusive goals for many of the nation’s school systems.

There is no evidence of dramatic transformation, and equity and excellence remain elusive goals for many of the nation’s school systems.

Reformers speak out

To get a better sense of how reformers are processing recent events and learn what they think the future of the education reform movement may look like, I asked several representatives of organizations that have advocated for familiar “school reform” strategies (including school choice, higher academic standards, and the creation of innovative charter school models) to share their thoughts with me — and, to encourage honesty, I promised anonymity.

Here is a selection of what they shared:

Words matter

In addition to some very animated language, one of the things that surprised me most was that all of them expressed frustration (if not downright anger) about the terms “education reform” and “school reform.” Just in case anyone doubts it, language does matter!

The angst of school reform starts with its very title, SCHOOL REFORM. Bottom line, over the last 40 years of school reform, we have very little to show in the way of positive outcomes at scale.
Education reform and school improvement. Such loaded terms! I feel tired just reading the words. Standards, assessment, accountability, school choice, Race to the Top, the Common Core. Over the past 20 years, I’ve bought into some pieces of the agenda while strenuously objecting to and being highly skeptical of other components of it. I feel like I’ve had one foot in and one foot out of the movement. How complicit does that make me?

A failed movement?

The reformers seemed to agree that their movement had failed to live up to its promise on multiple fronts and that successes remain confined to individual schools and districts. In their view, large-scale improvements haven’t taken hold and many of the ideas behind the movement have lost credibility.

We have failed to drown out the drumbeat of local control at the expense of a public education system that lacks cohesiveness and coherence. We have failed to create student agency and motivation over their own learning while putting them in a system that is not designed for their success.
Ed reform is failing at scale. Some schools, and some children, have certainly had their lives changed and improved, but for the untold billions and billions of dollars that have been poured into ed reform, there is absolutely no way not to call it a failure.
I think ed reform has absolutely failed at scale — where is all that innovation now that we have had a genuine crisis? I honestly can’t believe we are relying on tutoring as the answer now. Billions of dollars pouring into setting up new organizations and finding some imaginary army of well-trained volunteers to drop in on occasion to tutor kids?
Is the movement over? Ding-dong, the witch is dead? It feels like it and yet education reform architects continue to play key roles in governmental and nongovernmental institutions. I believe the policies associated with the agenda have been largely discredited and fail to speak to the most pressing issues facing public education. But have we really severed ties with that frame of reference, with that agenda? If so, what ideas have taken center stage and become an organizing principle for stakeholders, advocates, government, and philanthropy?

New mindsets and roadblocks

A few reformers expressed cautious hope that a new movement is on the horizon, but what that movement will look like and whether it can succeed in our contentious era is unclear.

Perhaps it comes down to changing what we are trying to reform . . . kids need strong supports from their family and community. They can’t live in poverty. They must see the value of what they are doing in school in terms of success later in life. And they must be able to more easily and more affordably get a postsecondary credential, certificate, or degree that is valued by enough employers to put them on a path toward prosperity. These changes, along with many of the reforms that have taken place over the last 30-40 years, might start to have a positive impact for the students who have remained in the public education system. Let’s hope so, for their sake, and for the sake of this country.
Many states are starting to understand that education is intended to put young people on a path toward economic and individual success. So states are better aligning K-12 with postsecondary opportunities, whether a degree or an industry recognized credential of value, that is leading more young people into the middle class and beyond.
It seems that a new center of gravity is emerging around whole-child education, personalization, family and community engagement, funding equity, and teacher pay. Yet the Republican-led attack on public education via school choice and critical race theory pulls at the edges of that center. The pandemic has both muddied and clarified the issues. I’m eager to see the education reform era in the rearview mirror. But I’m still trying to make out the road signs ahead.

What’s next?

After two years of COVID, it’s abundantly clear that reformers aren’t the only ones feeling disillusioned about education right now. With terrible news about education bombarding us every day, it’s hard for anyone to feel optimistic about the future of public schools. But if the last 40 years taught us anything, it is this: Making schools better for all students takes more than just money and rhetoric. It requires strong leadership, political will, community support, and an enormous amount of moral courage.

As the adults in the room contemplate whether school reform is dead or simply stunned senseless, some of the most important questions remain unanswered. What do public schools and the communities they serve really need to get through this current crisis? What is the best way to effectively serve so many diverse communities? Is it finally time to rethink how schools are funded and governed? If past experiences, no matter how painful, can help inform the next iteration of whatever we decide to call education reform, then maybe the next 40 years will deliver on the promise of equity and excellence for all.

This article appears in the April 2022 issue of Kappan, Vol. 103, No. 7, pp. 60-61.